A Long History of Solar SolarWorld has been manufacturing solar panels in the USA since 1975. Back then, the price of oil was $13 dollars a barrel, and gas was $0.44 a gallon at the pump. Gerald Ford was president…Read more

The 120% Rule and Your Main Breaker Panel’s Limitations The altE Store started designing and selling grid-tied solar systems way back around the year 2000. Back then, a typical solar system was about 500W. Nowadays as the price of solar…Read more

One question we often hear at altE is, “What’s next for renewable energy?” And while it’s impossible to predict the future, I thought it would be interesting to check in with my colleagues at altE for their thoughts on the…Read more

Six months later in Puerto Rico It has been 6 long, hot months since Hurricane Maria decimated the island of Puerto Rico, and other islands in the Caribbean. While some progress has been made, a tremendous amount of work remains….Read more

How do you solve a problem like Maria? Wednesday, September 20, 2017 was a day that changed Puerto Rico forever. Hurricane Maria tore across the island, destroying almost everything in her path. Puerto Rico’s infrastructure was damaged beyond recognition. Homes, roads,…Read more

Solar Power International 2017 SPI is the largest solar trade show on the planet. How did we start each day? Well, to our pleasant surprise, each day started out with a smile, as every morning (and throughout the days of the show)….Read more

So, you just got a solar panel that has no polarity labels. How can you figure out the proper polarity, which terminal or wire is plus and which is minus? Here’s a couple of easy tips than can even be done…Read more

What does it cost to go solar? We get asked this question every day. And the answer? Well, it depends. “Going solar” means different things to different people. Some peoples’ definition costs a lot more than others’. It’s more than…Read more

Tiny is Huge! Tiny Houses are a big success these days. Cutting back your possessions to the bare minimum and fitting your new life into a tiny house has become a dream for many. With tiny houses generally comes tiny electric…Read more

Words Matter When discussing electricity, in this case solar panels and energy, it is important to use the right terminology to make sure everyone understands what you are talking about. Two of the most commonly confused terms are watts and…Read more